Water and Steel
by Twizler86258
Summary: How would it be possible that the most unlikely of pairs could end up loving each other the way they do? Magic and Metal cannot work together. But maybe, for once, they can just be Yamuraiha and Sharrkan, nothing more, nothing less. (Series of Sharryamu ficlets (4/?))
1. Eternity

_Hey everyone, Twiz here! This fic, as it stands right now, is a bunch of ficlets about one of my favorite Magi ships that I think deserves more love than it gets. Feel free to request any prompts if you have a burning desire to :D Hope you guys enjoy! More to come soon!_

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Eternity:

 _Eternity._

It wasn't something that they had, and the possibility of its existence for them could be suddenly ripped away at any conceivable moment. The rug could be pulled out from under their temporary happiness at any point in time. The time they had was finite and subject to change on a whim, but they were going to ride it out for as long as they could. With her devotion to her country slowly draining her life force, and war threatening to destroy either of them at any time, the swordsman and magician were left to enjoy any peaceful moment together they could salvage.

Mornings in Sindria were probably the calmest moments you would ever find within the oceanside kingdom. Everything was peaceful and quiet for a time, the only sounds being the rolling of the ocean and the distant sounds of birds calling for each other out in the distance. Most of the residents of the kingdom were either sleeping, nursing off their hangovers from the prior night, or, like their _ever_ composed King, both. It was a peaceful time, when there were no pressing issues to dwell on and the day ahead was shrouded in a thin veil of hope.

Mornings were the most perfect times Sharrkan could think of. His only concern in the mornings was the teal haired love of his life lying in his arms. He blinked hard a few times to wake up, eyes adjusting slowly to the sunlight streaming through the open curtains. He was cautious not to shift around too much and accidentally wake the sleeping magician resting in his arms. Yam's hands were fisted in his shirt, his arms encircling her waist. He looked down at her, peaceful and breathing steadily in his embrace, all he could ever ask for. There was something utterly tranquil about Yamuraiha when she was sleeping, Sharrkan had come to notice. Whether it was the lack of her trying to stab him with his own sword or not was yet to be determined. Moving so her head was resting under his chin, Sharrkan kissed her lightly on the forehead before pulling her in closer to his chest. He took a moment to enjoy the simplicity of the embrace, no pretense, just the two of them, solid and warm against each other.

 _Yamuraiha smiled contentedly to herself, she had woken at the feel of Sharrkan's lips against her forehead, but refused to make herself known yet. Instead she enjoyed the feel of his body against hers, letting herself drink in every last details of him while they were like this, while things were peaceful. His chest and arms were hard and lined with muscle from years upon years of sword training against her body. Yet he was also warm and inviting, letting himself soften in moments like this, just for her. She let herself relish in the natural feeling of his arms around her waist, as if that is where they belonged all along. She felt her fingers tangled in his shirt and let her grip tighten a bit, knowing with certainty he wouldn't try to leave. With her face pressed to his chest she could hear the sound of his heart beating, steady and strong. She counted to 21 beats of his heart before she decided to "wake up"._

"Are you trying to suffocate me?" quietly interrupted Sharrkan's reverie, followed by a whispered " _idiot swordsman_ " as Yamuraiha drew her head away from his chest. She smiled up at him sleepily, her ocean eyes alive and glimmering. She looked like the horizon at dawn, filled with color and life and everything beautiful the world had to offer. "Not intentionally, no" he admitted with a tinge of sarcasm, exhaling contentedly as he returned her grin. "Goodmorning" Yamuraiha stated cheerfully, sliding her hand up to Sharrkan's tanned cheek as she kissed him awake, both of them grinning against each other's lips.

 _Yamuraiha loved mornings too, for as the dawn broke again and again each day, those golden eyes that rivaled the sun itself would always gleam at her. His eyes always seemed to widen the first time she looked at him each morning, his breath caught in his throat, as if he were momentarily surprised that_ here she was _. She was here and safe in his arms for yet another day, just where she wanted to be. That same smile that wasn't joking or trying to make a pass at some other girl, the genuine one that was just for her, always greeted her as her eyes cracked open. And an early morning kiss was stronger than any spell she could use to make herself alert and awake, sending a buzz through her veins. It was a wonderful thing to wake up to in the morning to the smell of the ocean and the face of someone you love._

No, they couldn't be afforded an eternity. But maybe, just maybe, this right here could be enough.


	2. Spirits

Spirits:

If Yamuraiha was being honest with herself, she had lost count of how many drinks she had about half an hour ago. Tonight was one of the few nights off the 8 generals received in the course of a week, and had all collectively decided to enjoy it together. It was the only day where they could all go and not have to worry about anything; from the state of the kingdom to the state of themselves, it could all be swept under the rug for a while. Originally, per ritual, Yam had Masrur and Sharrkan to sit with while they all slowly got intoxicated. Now it seemed, through her drunken haze at least, that Masrur had since moved on to sit with the sober crowd (aka. Ja'far and Spartos.) It was just her and Sharrkan left, sitting at their little table alone, spirits in hand, letting themselves loose for that one night.

Yamuraiha looked over at the Heliohaptn swordsman sitting beside her, taking a minute to take every detail of him in while he was absorbed in his drink. She let her eyes wander from the snowy white of his hair, down to the sharp angle of his tanned jaw, to the way his robe was slipping _slightly_ too far down his shoulder… Yamuraiha tore her eyes away. Why of all things would that be the detail her eyes stopped on? It must be the booze, there was no other reasonable explanation. But that's the thing about alcohol, for some people, it makes you stupid and emotional. For others, it emblazons you and makes you brave; Yamuraiha was one of the second types.

Yam was never one to engage in drunk talk before, and had never really been drunk enough herself to have any. The speeches brought about by spirits were ones she never felt it necessary to partake in, but tonight felt different. Maybe it was something in the air, or in her glass, who was to say.

Sharrkan turned his head in Yamuraiha's direction at the image of her downing the rest of her drink in 2 quick gulps, slamming the glass back onto the table. Then she turned to him, her cheeks rosy and her eyes slightly unfocused, but definitely looking dead at him. "You know, Sharr, I've been thinking about it for a while now. And I've come to the conclusion that I think I love you."

Her speech was slurred and slightly pitchy, but the words still knocked the wind out of Sharrkan's lungs. He suddenly felt horribly sober, the weight of her words settling onto his shoulders. Was this some kind of cruel joke? This was just about the most smashed Sharrkan had ever seen Yam get before, she probably wouldn't even remember saying these things in the morning. But still, even drunk, words that weighty were not ones she would say without meaning. "Yamu?" he asked quietly, trying to force all his worries into the soft sound of her name.

Clearly it got through. At the sound of his lips shaping her name Yamuraiha seemed to sit up a bit straighter, blinking hard at Sharrkan. "I'm not kidding, I love you you idiot." she intoned seriously, a pout almost pronouncing itself at the idea of not being believed on such an eminent topic. The immediate smile that came to his face sent a shock of happiness through Yamuraiha's veins.

She didn't know if it was brave or stupid, or somewhere of the abyss in-between, but one second she was losing herself in his smile, and the next her lips were pressed to his. She wasn't in her right mind she was sure, saying those kinds of things unwarranted. Then again, clearly neither was he, going along with it as if this were perfectly ordinary. But thinking it through in her now euphoria filled mind, Yamuraiha knew her weren't a lie. Her fingers were weaving themselves through his blanched hair by their own accord, and it felt horrifically right. Everything about this moment from the alcohol on both their lips to the warm sea breeze blowing in was utterly perfect to her. She felt Sharrkan's arms snake their way around her waist, drawing her into him. Everything he was dragged her down into him, submerging her in his all consuming presence.

It could have been minutes, but it felt like blissful hours later when they finally broke away from each other. Her arms were laced tenderly around his neck, one of his hands resting comfortably on her waist, the other cupping the back of her head. Yamuraiha rested her head in the crook of his neck, her eyes closed lightly. She could feel Sharrkan all around her like air, warm and tangible and all she wanted surrounding her body. Yamuraiha had never been one to indulge in the drunken mumblings brought about by spirits, but tonight she felt no remorse for finally admitting to what she had wanted to say for what felt like eons.

Sharrkan let his head rest on Yam's shoulder, his eyes falling closed for one more heavenly moment. Looking up from their, albeit _compromising_ position, his eyes locked with the other 6 generals, all looking at them from afar. Their reactins were ranging from different stages of support, jaw-dropping, amazement, and Pisit flashing him a thumbs-up. Sharrkan let one of his hands run exasperatedly down his face, leaning back slightly to let Yamuraiha look at what had caught his attention.

At the sight of all their friends watching them, Yamuraiha blushed, throwing her head back into Sharrkan's shoulder in embarrassment. "They're all staring" she mumbled into his bare shoulder. Sharrkan could feel her lips move to the sound of her words, ghosting across his skin. He smiled down at the back of her head momentarily, leaning down so his mouth was level with her ear. He whispered in her ear with a smirk, practically feeling her smile at his words.

" _Let them."_

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 _Twiz: Hey guys! hope you enjoyed chapter 2! Chapter three is going to be thrown into the works soon so stay posted!_


	3. Embrace

Embrace:

The beginning of it all was the first time she had fallen ill, suddenly and with no warning. But it wasn't a normal kind of sick, and the other 7 Generals were well aware of this. Normal sick did not entail Yamuraiha collapsing flat out in the middle of the courtyard while practicing her magic, that much was concrete. It was only while she was laying in bed regaining her strength that Sinbad found it appropriate to break the news to them all. Upon hearing it, Sharrkan felt like he had been aggressively slapped across the face. She was _dying_ for that stupid barrier, and they hadn't even known. The barrier protecting Sindria was draining her life away, and she was choosing to _let it_. Sharrkan couldn't tell if he felt more like screaming or sobbing, though Yamuraiha was too tired to hear any of it at that point.

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It took two days to get her strength back, and it was an exhausting, nerve-wracking two days for everyone involved. But when it was over, everyone let it drop and continued along with their daily lives in hopes that it wouldn't recur. Well, _almost_ everyone let it stay in the past. Three days was too long to go without discussing it, and Sharrkan was not about to let the issue go without talking it over.

For Yamuraiha, her first dinner back was going normally till Sharrkan looked over at her. His golden-green eyes were piercing into her with such a septic mix of emotions that she couldn't place her finger on which one was most prevalent. He had asked her to sit with him, just him, that night, and suddenly she was sure she knew why. Pushing herself to her feet in an attempt to excuse herself, Yamuraiha was thwarted by Sharrkan mimicking her action.

"Why didn't you tell us sooner?" He asked simply, his voice devoid of emotion. That's exactly what it was, a simple question. So why couldn't Yamuraiha answer it? ' _Because I'd rather not burden you all with the knowledge that protecting this country is slowly draining my life? Because I'd rather tell you over my death bed than have to go through this right now?'_ The magician's thoughts were racing, but she didn't express any of this aloud. All Yamuraiha could think to quietly utter was "I couldn't find the right time."

Oh that got him angry. Angry Sharrkan was something Yamuraiha was accustomed to dealing with, she could handle him angry. The sad Sharrkan from moments ago that was looking at her as if she were already dead? That was out of her league. This was comfortable, angry was normal. "And when would the right time be? After you're dead? This is an important matter that we should all get a say in Yamu, decisions like this affect all of us. You can't just go throwing your life away like this!"

"Sharr, I'm not throwing anything away." Yamuraiha responded calmly, sweetly even, watching his shoulders heave with angry panting. "I'm choosing to protect this country that has become my home, and all the people in it I've come to love," she paused, tenderly looking around the room. Her eye caught each of those of the other Generals, who were all also staring, before returning her gaze to Sharrkan. "Where's the crime in that?"

Sharrkan heaved a sigh of exasperation at this, rolling his eyes animatedly. "Yamu, this isn't protecting your country, this is taking it too far. You are _killing_ yourself by doing this! Do you understand that? There are other ways to protect Sindria then bleeding your life out for it!" He shouted, wide hand gestures accompanying his emphatic verbal protest.

"Well you know what?" Yamuraiha snapped, her crystalline eyes suddenly filled with rage, "It's my life to 'throw away' if I want to! I can make my own damn choices without standing here being lectured by you!" She shouted accusatorily, her outburst silencing the room. With that, Yamuraiha turned on her heel and stormed out of the room, her robes billowing behind her as she exited.

"Yamu!" Sharrkan called after her, hoping the desperation wasn't evident in his tone. Waiting a second with no response he called again, "Yamu!" Again, nothing, she was still walking away. With one final heart wrenching scream of "Yamuraiha!" Sharrkan sprinted out of the dining hall after her as fast as he could. It was entirely his fault she was angry, he shouldn't have heaped everything on her like that, it wasn't fair.

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Luckilly, Sharrkan reached her room just in time for the doors to swing shut in his face. The blast of air that accompanied the sudden movement startled him into stillness. Sharrkan slowly approached Yamuraiha's door, lightly knocking against it. "Yamu? I'm sorry about that, you didn't deserve any of what I said back there." he said quietly, his hand resting against the still firmly shut door.

It was only in the silence after his statement that he heard her crying. It was quiet, contained, as if she were trying her hardest not to let the agonized noises pass to his ears. But they did, and she sounded so horribly in pain that it wrenched Sharrkan's heart. His hand immediately slipped down to the door knob, rattling the door that he already knew she'd locked with her magic.

"Yamuraiha!" he shouted, fiercely banging on the door in an attempt to make her open it. With the realization that she was not going to willingly let him in right now, Sharrkan only had one decision left to make.

The doors opened easily with one swift kick, sending that same gust of wind back in her direction. Yamuraiha's back was to him as he stood in the doorway, her room dark except for the light shining in from the now open doors. Her hat was slightly ajar, the breeze from the doors opening tilting it slightly off-kilter. "Yamu…" Sharrkan trailed off quietly, taking a step into the room.

"Do you want to know why I'm choosing to do what I am doing?" Yamuraiha asked, her voice hoarse but even, not making any move to turn and face him. The silence that was his answer prompted her to continue. The magician turned around then, her face hard despite the tear tracks staining her cheeks and the redness rimming her eyes. "I made the choice to protect this country, knowing what I was doing walking into this, because I wanted to. It was _my_ choice. This place, these people, are one of the only homes I have ever known, and I think that is worth fighting for. I've finally found somewhere worth protecting…" her voice cutting off as her throat tightened, her eyes brimming with fresh tears. She took a step towards Sharrkan, letting her hand rest delicately on his cheek. Her eyes spoke as much as her words as she finished, " and some people worth protecting too."

Sharrkan stood there stunned for a moment, drinking in her words like fine wine, a little at a time till they were all absorbed into his soul. His hand came up to rest on hers briefly, before dropping it around her waist. He pulled her into him quickly, so much so that she seemed to stumble into his chest. Her body fit perfectly into the curve of his, one arm around his back, the other bunched up in his shirt. He let his chin rest lightly on the top of her head, her hat discarded somewhere within the movement. Sharrkan could feel the warmth of her tears soaking through his shirt, only making him hold her tighter, trying to trap her sorrow in his embrace.

 _Yamuraiha almost gasped as she was pulled into Sharrkan's arms. Her eyes went wide as she collided with his chest, his arms coiling themselves around her body. Almost instantaneously, she let herself dissolve into his embrace, her arm going around him, the other clutching his shirt for dear life. Yamuraiha's eyes slowly sunk closed, the final remnants of her tears slipping down her face. The warmth radiating from Sharrkan was like hot coffee, dripping through her veins till all of her was humming with the feeling of home. His arms were strong around her, as if he were trying to hold her together so she would no longer have to._

Tilting his face down, Sharrkan kissed the top of Yamuraiha's head, whispering a quiet "thank you" into the ocean of her hair.

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 _Twiz: Hey everyone! I hope you guys don't mind that this chapter took a little longer to get out since it is a bit more lengthy than the others. This ficlet is inspired by the song "Arms" by Christian Perri, so if you want to listen to it while reading I would highly recommend it. I've decided I'm going to try to get this fic to around 10 chapters? Or just keep going till I run out of ideas :P Feel free to suggest prompts if you guys have any ideas though, I love hearing from you all! Till next time, I hope you guys enjoyed :)_


	4. Damage

_Hey everyone, guess who's back! This chapter has been sitting around in my Google Drive unfinished since last year, so I decided to use it as a jumping-off point for my creative juices. This chapter is set just after that big battle in Sindria at the end of Season 1 of the show? Idk how active I'll be from here on out, but enjoy!_

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Damage

The war was over and spoken for, at least for the time being. At the sight of Princess Kougyoku washing out the waters of Sindria, the troops from Al Thamen that hadn't been decimated made their quick and hasty retreat back from whence they came. The storm was over and passed, and everyone residing in the small island kingdom could breathe a sigh of relief. The 8 Generals had been ordered to return to Sindria castle once the meleé had died down, and the people were assured to be safe, so that was exactly where Sharrkan was heading. The idea of making the trek back to the castle from the edge of the island was unappealing at max, and the slash on his back still stung like crazy, but it was a journey that had to be made nonetheless. Figuring his comrades were about as beat up as he was, Sharrkan decided he would deal with the injury when he got back.

Due to knowledge of practically every shortcut around the island, it took Sharrkan half the time it would have take a civilian to get to the castle from his current position. Upon arrival almost everyone was accounted for. The Generals that were already back, with the addition of Sinbad, were waiting in the front courtyard of the castle, dispersed around the area assessing each other. No one looked horribly worse for the wear, which was comforting to the swordsman as he entered the group. Ticking off names in his head (Hinahoho, Drakon, Pisti, Masrur, Ja'far) plus himself made 6, they were two short. Spartos and Yamuraiha were still unaccounted for. Sharrkan remembered the two of them had been sent out to around the same area as one another during the battle. Surely they were just slow coming back, but paranoia ebbed at his nerves anyway at the thought of the opposite outcome. They were both strong fighters, there's no way they could be defeated. Not now. Surely the two of them would come flying in at any moment on that godforsaken staff.

Five minutes of staring at the sky in bated anticipation later incited the sound of footsteps from the main gates of the castle. Spartos walked in first, looking just about as composed as ever, and a flash of teal hair behind him immediately calmed Sharrkan's racing nerves. However, they only stayed calm for a brief moment. One glimpse at Yamuraiha and Sharrken was immediately alarmed all over again. Yamuraiha looked as though she had had it the worst out of all of them. Her hair hung loosely at her sides, her hat and hair shells discarded somewhere in the ocean no doubt. Scratches and scrapes covered her body, and her chest was horribly exposed save her arm holding herself together. She wore a tired smile on her face regardless, likely drained of most of her energy from whatever taxing fight she had been put through.

Yamuraiha, spotting Sharrkan standing alone among their friends, thought they were all blatantly staring at her with concern, slowly walked up to him. By the look on his face, Yamuraiha was convinced some kind of concerned or alarmed question would be the first thing to pass his lips. But no, the first thing that idiot swordsman blurted out was "Cover yourself!", reaching out to pull the sleeves of her robe up to their proper place on her shoulders, covering up much of her exposed skin. Yam's now free arm dropped to her side, her face hardening into an annoyed deadpan. "Out of all the things you could have said, that is the one you choose to start with?" the water magician asked exasperatedly.

In all reality, she knew he had meant it in a compassionate manner, and another time she would've found it endearingly amusing. It was just his roundabout way of expressing his concern, she knew that.

As the ever familiar sight of the two generals bickering beginning, the others loitering around the courtyard began to drift inside to tend to themselves and celebrate a battle well won. As Sharrkan and Yamuraiha had cooled down enough to do the same, she finally laid eyes on it. As Sharrkan had turned to mount the steps into the palace, Yamuraiha's hand shot out and grabbed his arm, stopping him dead. Her other hand gingerly began tracing the line of the gash marring his back. The graveyard-like silence was only interrupted by Sharrkan's metered hiss of pain as Yamuraiha's fingers got too close to the source of his injury. In a quiet voice, as if she were afraid her speaking would cause him further pain, she asked, "How did this…"

"The same way you got your damage." Sharrkan explained plainly. They had just been in battle, it was only natural some future scars would result from it. Then he turned partly to look at her and his molten gold eyes bored into her. They slowly began pouring assurance into the hole worry was gnawing in her heart. "It's just a little knick, it'll be healed in no time," he said, using the tone of an adult reminding a child that there is no monster in their closet.

Yamuraiha's grip on his arm loosened momentarily so her hand could slide down his arm to his hand. Sharrkan could feel her grip tighten, pulling him along behind her into the castle. "Someone has to fix you up" he heard Yam mutter as they stopped outside the doors to his bedroom.

Once inside, Sharrkan's mind could only focus on one thing before anything else occurred. Taking a few steps away from Yamuraiha, he dug into his closet to produce a clean white button-down shirt, one all the generals owned. "Please cover yourself" he said, repeating his earlier statement as he held it out to her. He watched a handful of emotions cycle through her eyes before she landed on exasperation, pulling the shirt out of his hand and turning to the wall to dress herself in it. Giving her privacy, Sharrkan turned away from her to make his way over to the bed, slowly letting himself down onto it.

When he looked back up, there she was, dressed like a proper general for once. Rarely did the day come where she wasn't wearing her shell bra, shoulders exposed by unreliable robe sleeves that always slipped too low. Then again, he wasn't really one to talk with how he normally clothes himself, but still. She looked comfortable, and gorgeous, and the realization that she was wearing his shirt sent a thrum of satisfaction through Sharrkan's veins.

She came over to sit behind him, gently pulling off his shirt as she went to work on his back. Sharrkan chose to focus more on concealing his visceral reactions to the stinging pain, as opposed to the feeling of her hands on his skin. They sat there in silence as she tended to him for a while.

"Don't let something like this happen again." Her voice was soft, quiet. It was different from the usual angry condescension Sharrkan would've expected coupling this kind of remark. She was legitimately worried about his wellbeing.

"I promise," he responded in much the same tone, "as long as you promise not to take so long coming back next time." And then it registered with Yamuraiha that the flurry of panic that had filled her upon seeing the damage done to his back, was the same he was feeling on her trek back to the palace.

It was so instantaneous Sharrkan thought his mind had made it up for a moment. The soft feeling of her lips against his cheek was not something he would forget easily however. It healed all his pain, inside and out, even just for a moment. Hiding a smile, he turned his head away from her just in time to hear a hushed,

"I promise."


End file.
